Study of presence of

Oxalate ions
In

Guava Fruit
At different stages of ripening

Made By:
Mahak Shah
XII-A
 CERTIFICATE

This is certified to be bonafide work of the MAHAK SHAH

of Class XII B in the CHEMISTRY LABORATORY during
academic year 2012-2013.

Teacher In-charge

Examiner’s Signature Principal Signature

Date………………
 INDEX

S.No. Topic Page

1. Acknowledgement 4
2. Introduction 5
3. Plant Chemicals 6
4. Oxalic Acid 8
5. Experiment 9
6. Observations 11
7. Calculations 12
8. Conclusion 13
9. Bibliography 14
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mrs. USHARANI

MAM for the valuable guidance and help provided by her for

undertaking and completing this project.

I would also like to thank my PARENTS for providing me the

material and help in completing this project.
 INTRODUCTION
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Psidium
Species: guajava
Common names: Guava, goiaba, guayaba, djamboe, djambu,
goavier, gouyave, goyave, goyavier, perala, bayawas, dipajaya
jambu, petokal, tokal, guave, guavenbaum, guayave, banjiro,
goiabeiro, guayabo, guyaba, goeajaaba, guave, goejaba, kuawa,
abas, jambu batu, bayabas, pichi, posh, enandi
Part Used: Fruit, leaf, bark

Guava is a common shade tree or shrub in dooryard gardens in

the tropics. It provides shade while the guava fruits are eaten
fresh and made into drinks, ice cream, and preserves. In the
richness of the Amazon, guava fruits often grow well beyond the
size of tennis balls on well-branched trees or shrubs reaching
up to 20 m high. Cultivated varieties average about 10 meters in
height and produce lemon-sized fruits. The tree is easily
identified by its distinctive thin, smooth, copper-colored bark that
flakes off, showing a greenish layer beneath.

Guava fruit today is considered minor in terms of commercial

world trade but is widely grown in the tropics, enriching the diet
of hundreds of millions of people in the tropics of the world.
Guava has spread widely throughout the tropics because it
thrives in a variety of soils, propagates easily, and bears fruit
relatively quickly. The fruits contain numerous seeds that can
produce a mature fruit-bearing plant within four years.
 PLANT CHEMICALS
Guava is rich in tannins, phenols, triterpenes, flavonoids,
essential oils, saponins, carotenoids, lectins, vitamins, fiber and
fatty acids. Guava fruit is higher in vitamin C than citrus (80 mg
of vitamin C in 100 g of fruit) and contains appreciable amounts
of vitamin A as well. Guava fruits are also a good source of
pectin - a dietary fiber. The leaves of guava are rich in
flavonoids, in particular, quercetin. Much of guava's therapeutic
activity is attributed to these flavonoids. The flavonoids have
demonstrated antibacterial activity. Quercetin is thought to
contribute to the anti-diarrhea effect of guava; it is able to relax
intestinal smooth muscle and inhibit bowel contractions. In
addition, other flavonoids and triterpenes in guava leaves show
antispasmodic activity. Guava also has antioxidant properties,
which is attributed to the polyphenols found in the leaves.

Guava's main plant chemicals include: alanine, alpha-humulene,

alpha-hydroxyursolic acid, alpha-linolenic acid, alpha-selinene,
amritoside, araban, arabinose, arabopyranosides, arjunolic acid,
aromadendrene, ascorbic acid, ascorbigen, asiatic acid, aspartic
acid, avicularin, benzaldehyde, butanal, carotenoids,
caryophyllene, catechol-tannins, crataegolic acid, D-galactose,
D-galacturonic acid, ellagic acid, ethyl octanoate, essential oils,
flavonoids, gallic acid, glutamic acid, goreishic acid, guafine,
guavacoumaric acid, guaijavarin, guajiverine, guajivolic acid,
guajavolide, guavenoic acid, guajavanoic acid, histidine, hyperin,
ilelatifol D, isoneriucoumaric acid, isoquercetin, jacoumaric acid,
lectins, leucocyanidins, limonene, linoleic acid, linolenic acid,
lysine, mecocyanin, myricetin, myristic acid, nerolidiol, obtusinin,
octanol, oleanolic acid, oleic acid, oxalic acid, palmitic acid,
palmitoleic acid, pectin, polyphenols, psidiolic acid, quercetin,
quercitrin, serine, sesquiguavene, tannins, terpenes, and ursolic
acid.

GUAVA PLANT SUMMARY

Main Preparation Method: decoction

Main Actions (in order):

antidysenteric, antiseptic, antibacterial, antispasmodic,
cardiotonic (tones, balances, strengthens the heart)

Main Uses:

1. for dysentery (bacterial and amebic), diarrhea, colic,

and infantile rotavirus enteritis
2. as a broad-spectrum antimicrobial for internal and
external bacterial, fungal, candidal, and amebic
infections
3. to tone, balance, protect and strengthen the heart (and
for arrhythmia and some heart diseases)
 4. as a cough suppressant, analgesic (pain-reliever), and
febrifuge (reduces fever) for colds, flu, sore throat, etc
5. as a topical remedy for ear and eye infections

Properties/Actions Documented by Research:

amebicide, analgesic (pain-reliever), antibacterial,
anticandidal, antidysenteric, antifungal, antimalarial,
antioxidant, antispasmodic, antiulcerous, cardiodepressant,
cardiotonic (tones, balances, strengthens the heart), central
nervous system depressant, cough suppressant, gastrototonic
(tones, balances, strengthens the gastric tract), hypotensive
(lowers blood pressure), sedative, vasoconstrictor

Other Properties/Actions Documented by Traditional Use:

anti-anxiety, anticonvulsant, antiseptic, astringent, blood
cleanser, digestive stimulant, menstrual stimulant, nervine
(balances/calms nerves), vermifuge (expels worms)

Cautions: It has a cardiac depressant effect and is

contraindicated in some heart conditions.
 OXALIC ACID

Oxalic acid is the chemical compound formula H2C2O4. This

dicarboxylic acid is better described with the formula
HO2CCO2H. It is a relatively strong organic acid, being about
10,000 times stronger than acetic acid. The dianion, known as
oxalate, is also a reducing agent and a ligand in coordination
chemistry. Oxalic acid and oxalates are abundantly present in
many plants, most notably in sour grass, and sorrel (including
Oxalis), roots and leaves of rhubarb and buckwheat.

At high concentrations, it is a dangerous poison, but such

immediately toxic levels are not found in foodstuffs but rather in
manufactures, such as some bleaches, some anti-rust products,
and some metal cleaners (among other things). It is also a
naturally occurring component of plants, and is found in
relatively high levels in dark-green leafy foods

In the human body, ingested oxalic acid is not a useful nutrient;

so, like all such unneeded components of diet, it is processed
by the body to a convenient form and that byproduct is then
excreted--in this case, in the urine. In the course of being
processed by the body, oxalic acid combines with other
substances to form various salts, called oxalates; usually, those
salts are in solution, but in high concentration some may
precipitate out in crystalline form. Such tiny crystals can cause
damage to human tissue, especially to the stomach, the
kidneys, and the bladder. It is commonly believed that oxalates
contribute to the formation of kidney and bladder stones; one
common nutrient with which oxalic acid combines is calcium,
making the salt calcium oxalate, and calcium oxalate is found in
kidney stones.
 To study the presence of Oxalate Ion
content in Guava Fruit at different stages
of ripening

Requirements:

100 ml measuring flask, pestle and mortar, beaker, titration

flask, fu el, burette, weight box, pipette, filter paper, dilute
H2SO4,KMnO4, and guava fruits at different stages of
ripening.

Theory:

Oxalate ions are extracted from the fruit by boiling pulp with dil.
H2SO4. Then Oxalate ions are estimated volumetrically by
titrating the solution with standard KMnO4 solution.

End Point:

Appearance of permanent pink colour.

Procedure:

1. 50.0g of fresh guava was weighed and crushed to a fine

pulp using pestle-mortar.
2. The crushed pulp was transferred to a beaker and about
50ml dil. H2SO4 was added. The contents were boiled for
about 10 minutes.

3. The contents were filtered and cooled in 100ml measuring

flask. The volume was made up to 100ml by adding
distilled water.

4. 20ml of this solution was taken into a titerating flask and

20ml of dil. H2SO4 was added to it. The mixture was
heated to about 60 C and titerated against the standard
KMnO4 solution taken in a burette

5. The process was repeated with different samples of guava.

 Observations:
Weight of guava taken = 50.0 g

Volume of guava extract taken = 20.0 ml

Normality of KMnO4 solution =

Burette readings Concordant

Guava extract from Initial Final volume of
KMnO4
Solution used
Fresh 0 50 50
1 day old 0 30 30
2 day old 0 15 15
3 day old 0 9 9
 Calculations

N1V1 = N2V2
(guava extract) (KMnO4 solution)

N1 x 20 = xV
Normality oxalate, N1 =

Strength of oxalate = Normality x Eq. mass of oxalate ion

= x 44 g/litre of the diluted extract.

Guava extract from Strength of oxalate ion

(g/litre)
Fresh 5.5
1 day old 3.3
2 day old 1.65
3 day old 0.99
 Conclusion

Oxalic acid and oxalates are abundantly present in many plants,

most notably in sour grass, and sorrel (including Oxalis), roots
and leaves of rhubarb and buckwheat.

After doing this experiment we can conclude that unripe guava

has a high content of Oxalate ions. The concentration of oxalate
ions decreases with the ripening of fruit.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

In order to complete this project, I took help from:

My chemistry teacher
Comprehensive Practical Chemistry (Lab Manual) of Laxmi
Publication
Different internet sites:
www.google.com
www.rain-tree.com
www.wikipedia.com